Nerological Mouse?

by JillianGreg Sat 29 Sep 2018, 8:33 pm

I have a very sick mouse and I'm looking for some advice on what could have caused it.

Symptoms: Weak, Trembling, Pale, Bleeding from nose, anorexic, severe weight loss, abrasion on neck (likely cagemate), goopy eyes, pale coat, confused, circling.

Basic Info: Black and White fancy mouse, female. A little over a year?

Housing: 20 gal long tank with wire hood, carefresh bedding, lots of hides, wheels, chews, etc. 2 other female mice of similar age.

Food: Oxbow mouse diet cubes. Supplimented every other week with fresh fruits and veggies.

Care: Weekly deep cleaning of cage, accesiories and bedding, water changed every few days, food always available, handled often.

The story: I was pet/house sitting for a week away from home. While I was gone, my mom was checking in and taking care of my animals. Before I left, they had lots of food, water, etc and all very very healthy. I went to clean the cage and found one mouse dead and particularly eaten, my other mouse nearly dead, and the last, perfectly healthy. I'm not sure if the healthy one attacked the other two, or if she's just taking advantage of the opportunity. The one that's sick is acting very lethargic and is just skin and bones. Her feet, ears, and tail had no color. I managed to warm her up a little with a warm hand towel and got her to eat some banana and chicken baby food. She become a little more active but is still very weak. I have her in quarantine currently in a similar set-up just smaller. I got her to drink some Gatorade out of a dropper (for electrolytes) and she seems to be improving slightly. She has started to walk in circles and put her head in the corner of her cage and hide. I was curious if anyone had thoughts as to what this might be and if it's contagious to me, other mice or other animals. I have dogs and cats. If she survives till Monday, since all clinics are closed Sunday, I'll take her to the vet but I'm very concerned.

by JillianGreg Sun 30 Sep 2018, 9:19 am

Unfortunately, Houdini, the sick mouse, passed early this morning in her sleep. I'd still like to know if anyone has any clue as to what could have happened.

by chiroptera Mon 01 Oct 2018, 5:48 pm

@JillianGreg I'm sorry to hear that two of your mice passed away. Sad

I can't be sure what happened- if the wound on the one's neck looked like it could have been a bite wound, then it's possible that it was caused by the other mouse, but if they had been getting along without issues beforehand it seems odd that it would happen. It's not uncommon for mice to eat the bodies of their dead colony members, so it's very hard to say whether or not the other mice were involved.

It's possible that Houdini had some kind of an ear infection, as that can be known to cause waltzing (the circling you said you saw), though as far as I'm aware (someone correct me if I'm wrong!) that isn't something that's usually deadly, so I don't think it would have been the cause of death for the other mouse. However, mice who have a waltz tend to be weaker and somewhat ill. My own little waltzing mouse, Trouble, passed away from a severe URI, but none of her cage mates even showed symptoms.

Most likely, the cause of the waltzing isn't transferable to you, though if it is an infection of some sort it could be something that could be passed onto your remaining mouse, so I'd definitely keep an eye on her.

by MerciToujoursMaPetiteBoop Mon 01 Oct 2018, 7:05 pm

Many of the symptoms are consistent with anemia, but anemia is not a disease by itself -- it is a symptom of something else being wrong, whether it is an injury that causes internal or external hemorrhaging, a progressive disease that damages the means for producing red blood cells or effectively circulating the blood, lack of sufficient iron in the food supply, parasites feasting on the blood, or general body part failure just due to the wear and tear of time.

It might be a good idea to take your remaining mouse in for a precautionary checkup. Explain all that has happened to your colony in the last several weeks, and say you'd just like to make sure everything is OK now.

by CallaLily Fri 05 Oct 2018, 10:05 am

I’m kind of late coming in and this probably has little to do with the symptoms but I wanted to point out that I have read there have been many reported cases of mice failing to thrive when fed mainly oxbow pellets. It’s a fine enough supplement to add to a different base mix, but as the main diet many mice just do not do well at all. Could it be that this finally caught up to them? Or an illness? The only way to know for sure would be to take their bodies to a vet for necropsy (too late now, I know).

How is the last mouse doing?

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